


Finding Home

by Prompto_Cam



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Absent Parents, Dad!Cor, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Poor Prompto, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 03:13:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15855069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompto_Cam/pseuds/Prompto_Cam
Summary: Prompto had been homeless for about four weeks now.He keeps it hidden well enough, until a rough bout of illness forces the people around him into action.





	Finding Home

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to my beta [Elillierose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elillierose) as always! ❤

Prompto had been homeless for about four weeks now.

Things had been going downhill for months really, and he should have seen it coming. When his parents started to send less money he had just tried to budget better. Less arcade nights, no eating out, use flashlights instead of lights and don’t watch so much TV. It was hard but he picked up a part time job in a restaurant so he could cover expenses a bit better. It was enough to cover his phone bill and his food, which meant covering the bills better with his parent’s money.

“It’s about time you stood on your own two feet. You’re eighteen now,” his mother said. They weren’t coming home for several months; apparently they were rather liking it in Accordo at the moment. They cut his funding down even more.

“Sorry, but we’re going to stay out here. You’ll need to find a place because we can’t afford the house,” his father said, only a week later. He had maybe two months of rent money left at that point but… how was he supposed to find a place? He couldn’t work more than part time; not with Crownsguard training about to start taking up his time.

He’d run through his options; no way in _hell_ was he going to mention a word of this to Noctis. He knew without a doubt that his best friend would happily let him move in, but that felt wrong. He had long ago pledged that he would never take advantage of Noctis’ kindness, or his position as the Prince. That ruled him out immediately.

Ignis was a no-go too; there was no possible way Ignis wouldn’t tell Noctis if he went to him. Ignis didn’t exactly have much space either; he’d seen his apartment only once and well… it was kind of a shoe box. Ignis called it ‘minimalist’ and said he didn’t need much. His apartment was two rooms; the bathroom, and everything else. A pull-out sofa bed that was used more as a sofa instead of a bed because Ignis was too tired to set it up by the time he got home. He didn’t spend a lot of time there at all, often crashing at Noctis’ place or in the Citadel guest rooms. He just liked to have his own space on his rare days off.

Going to Gladio would be a disaster. He was still living in the Amicitia Manor and _heavens forbid_ he showed up there needing a place to stay. If Clarus Amicitia caught wind of this, what would he think about Prompto being a Crownsguard? He’d probably think he was the most irresponsible person _ever_. Besides, Gladio was busy with training and keeping Noctis safe, he didn’t need Prompto hanging around; especially around his little sister that he was so protective of.

Perhaps he could apply for a room in the Citadel eventually; there was an entire wing set up for Crownsguard boarding, but he would have to be training for at least six months, or be in phase two training to qualify for that. He hadn’t even _started_ yet. So for now that was out of the question too.

He didn’t have a lot of stuff anyway, spending most of his time just in his room. He stuffed his clothes and shoes into a suitcase, along with some basic toiletries and his glasses and spare contacts. He loaded up his backpack with stuff he’d need immediately; his medication for his stomach, his wallet, camera, phone, charger, and his keys. Well… his locker key for work and the spare Noctis had given him. That was it; all his worldly possessions stuffed in a suitcase and a backpack.

Week one was okay. His boss was pretty good once he explained that he couldn’t go home for a little while. He didn’t tell him much and gave him the impression that he’d be fine in a week or two. So his manager let him store his suitcase in the staff room, where it was safe and protected by the CCTV. He slept in one of the booths once the restaurant was closed for the night and promised his boss it was only temporary. He spent one night at Noctis’ place, leaving his suitcase at the restaurant and taking the opportunity to use Noctis’ shower… his friend was totally clueless.

But then the week was up, and he couldn’t find an excuse to stay there any longer. He wasn’t sure where to go from there and had ended up at the train station. He slept in the waiting room for a little while but it wasn’t really ‘sleep’. He was too worried about someone stealing his stuff to sleep properly and usually had to prop himself against his suitcase and hug his backpack. It was the worst week… he didn’t even see Noctis.

Week three, Crownsguard training started. He stashed his suitcase under some big bushes near the Citadel and prayed that no one would find it. He could leave his backpack in the locker he was given and use the showers in the locker room. Training was _harsh_ and he could hardly round up money for food… especially once Cor had taken in the state of him. New shoes were on the agenda for training and apparently if he saw Prompto’s clothes dirty again he’d be in trouble. So his money was spent on new trainers and a trip to the local laundromat. On top of his phone bill, he was pretty skint.

Tips at work had been terrible and really, it was his own fault. He was so tired that he was clumsy and no one wanted to tip someone who spilt a drink on them. His manager was trying to be kind about it but… he was starting to make too many slip ups. It probably wouldn’t be long before he got fired and he only worked two days a week anyway. Then what would he do? No money, no home, and no solutions. And still, no Noctis either… other than a few text messages about how boring all his meetings were.

“I’m sorry, Prompto. You’re a good kid, and I like you…”

“ _Please_ Mr. B, I just… Things are really hard at the moment. My new training is… it’s taking it outta me, y’know? I promise, I’ll do better!”

“I’m sorry… I really am. But the owner is getting annoyed with the complaints and I just can’t make any more excuses for you. This is your last paycheck… I need your name badge.” Prompto’s shoulders slumped in defeat, nimble fingers carefully removed the badge from his shirt to hand it over and take his payment. “Look… whatever it is you’ve got going on that’s messing you up so badly, I hope you get it sorted soon. Good luck, Prompto.”

Luck. As if he’d had any of that lately.

“Look, I really don’t want to have to call the police on you kid, but you’ve been here for two weeks and you can’t keep sleeping here. Here, take this map. I’ve marked up some homeless shelters.” Prompto took the map from the train station’s security guard with a small, mumbled thanks. It just… wasn’t an option. He just needed to hold out a little longer, until he found another job. He still had a little money left for food, he could make it last a bit longer. He didn’t want to go to a shelter, where he would have to share a room with a stranger and be around people who maybe weren’t friendly at all. Who knows what could happen.

It was fine. Yeah sure, it was raining heavily but he’d be okay. It would only be for tonight. Just one night on the street. He found an alley that was fairly well lit up and sat near the entrance. Hopefully the lighting would deter anyone from trying to mess with him. He set his suitcase on the ground and sat on it to avoid sitting on the dirty floor, then he hugged his backpack to his chest. It was just one night. _One_ night.

It turned into a week. A horrible, cold, wet, miserable week. That meant three weeks that Noctis had been busy with meetings and duties; something about talks of a treaty and about sending aid to somewhere but of course Noctis couldn’t tell him much. Noctis had apparently been sleeping at the Citadel because he was so busy he didn’t even have time to go to his own apartment.

Prompto would _never_ admit that he had used Noctis’ spare key while he was away. But he was so cold, and so desperate for a hot shower that he had no choice. It was blissful, warm water cascading down his cold, tired body that ached in a hundred different ways from training and awkward sleep. He stayed right there until the water started to run cold. He dried off and got dressed, folding up the towel he’d used and tucking it away under Noctis’ bed. It was a mess under there, he’d never even notice.

He paused on his way to the door, casting a longing gaze over to the sofa. Noctis wasn’t supposed to be back… he could just… just one night… Noctis didn’t need to know…

It was _still_ raining. The alley was starting to become more miserable, but he found himself settling there for another night. He had used Noctis’ shower, that was more than enough invasion of his privacy for today. Despite how blissfully warm he had been after the shower, he was already starting to shiver again, hugging his backpack and huddling up as small as he could to try and hold in the warmth.

He watched the screen of his phone, hoping, _praying_ for some contact from someone. Anyone. His parents hadn’t replied to him in weeks; it seemed like they didn’t care much for what had happened to him now. They never really had anyway, in all truth. He watched as his battery drained from 4% to 1% and couldn’t help but feel like he was a moron for not borrowing Noctis’ electricity to charge his phone. Soon, all he could see was his own reflection in the black screen; wet, miserable and tired, his hair plastered to his skin from the rain. He sighed, carefully tucking his phone into his pocket.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 **Noctis (22:15):** Freedom!

 **Noctis (22:15):** Dad took pity. Never has my own bed felt so great before. Even Specs went HOME.

 

 **Noctis (22:37):** Hey, I’m sorry I haven’t been around. Text me?

 

 **Noctis (22:49):** Are you okay? I saw Cor, he said you’ve been to every training session. How is it going?

 

 **Noctis (22:52):** Prom? I really am sorry. I’m free tomorrow night, wanna come stay over? We can order pizza.

 

 **Noctis (23:05):** Okay. Just let me know if you want to come, okay?

 

 **Noctis (00:27):** Really wish you’d reply but I guess I kinda deserve the silence. I’m sorry, I really, REALLY am…

 

 **Noctis (00:51):** Goodnight, Prom.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Something was definitely wrong with Prompto; Cor could see it in him. Prompto’s attitude had been bright and cheerful three weeks ago when training started, but over the weeks he seemed to have lost his enthusiasm and Cor wondered if maybe he was finding it harder than he had thought. Still, Cor didn’t want to see him give up.

He could still vividly remember the one year old baby he had brought home almost seventeen years ago. He could picture him still. A tiny child, so entirely reliant upon the scientists that monitored his incubator. So frail and malnourished that he couldn’t eat anything remotely solid. So starved of any interaction that he had clung to Cor’s shirt like his life depended on that point of contact.

A child so neglected, that he barely even knew how to make a sound. So dependent on the incubator that he had struggled for every breath once Cor had pulled him out. He had feared that he wouldn’t survive the journey to Insomnia but there was _hope_ in those violet blue eyes; he had fought for his survival and Cor had fought with him. He hadn’t slept at all, making sure the child was always breathing.

Letting him go had been hard. Cor had never seen himself as a parent, and yet he had somewhat become one in a matter of minutes. Prompto had grown on him in the week it took to get home and the month he had tried to care for him; but Cor just knew he couldn’t give Prompto the life he needed. So he had entrusted him to a couple of retired Crownsguard, trusting that they would treat him like he was; an innocent child in need of love and care.

From what he had heard from Ignis, that hadn’t exactly been the case. But now things had come around full circle and he was here with him again, something just tugged at the back of his mind. Prompto didn’t look much better than his one year old self; he looked skinny and frail; dark eyed and tired. It looked like he was trying hard to breathe shallow; deeper breaths were making him hack on a rough, throat rubbing cough. He was _definitely_ sick, but seemed like he was trying to hide it as he stretched in his warm up like the other recruits. He would have to keep a close eye on him.

“You know the drill, three laps around the room” Cor ordered. There were groans, but one by one the recruits filed into a jog around the room. It was good to get the blood pumping before setting up for sparring or running defense drills. Perhaps today would be a good day to start invasion drills.

Prompto was lagging at the back of the group; it wasn’t normal for him at all. Prompto had fantastic stamina and the energy and motivation to boot, it was usually hard to get him to slow down in team exercises because he was so highly enthusiastic. But he looked awful. Cor kept a keen eye on him as he made his way around the room and made up his mind; once Prompto made the first full circle he would pull him aside.

Cor turned his attention to someone else as they came past him, almost tripping over her shoes when her laces came undone. He caught her just in time, luckily. “Careful, get those shoes secured,” he said. She nodded and stepped out of the way of the others to tie her shoes back up. Just seconds later, he heard the unmistakable thump of a dead weight hitting the floor.

Prompto was on the ground, struggling to pull in any air and coughing violently. Cor was across the room in seconds, nudging nosey recruits out of he way so that he could kneel at his side. “Back off and give him some space!” he said firmly. They all took several steps back to get out of the way.

Cor slid his arm behind Prompto’s shoulders to pull him up into a more upright position, which seemed to help him pull in a few easier breaths. His eyes were open, but glazed and unfocused. He was radiating heat like a furnace. “Argentum, focus on me,” he urged, clicking his fingers in front of the blonde. Nothing, not even a twitch of the eyes.

“Get back to your laps,” he demanded, and they quickly scrambled to obey while Cor slid his phone out of his pocket. It only rang three times before it was answered, and he didn’t even let the other person speak.

“Drautos, I need you to come and supervise my recruits. I’ve got a man down, urgent,” he explained quickly.

_“How bad?”_

“Conscious but unresponsive, feverish and struggling for breath. I’ve got to get him to the medical wing and get him stabilized”

_“Lucky for you, I’m not busy. Get your recruits busy and get going, I can be there in less than five.”_

“Got it.” Hanging up, he tucked his phone away so that he could get his other arm under Prompto’s knees to lift him up. He was a total deadweight, but Cor managed to shift him enough so that Prompto’s head was resting on his shoulder. “A substitute is on his way; you lot better still be running when he gets here,” he shouted, to which he received a chorus of ‘yes sir’s. He didn’t wait to see if they were actually going to keep running.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Ignis.”

_“Marshall. My apologies, I’m on my way to a meeting.”_

“You need to cancel it, I need you at the medical wing.”

_“Oh… may I ask why?”_

“Argentum. He collapsed during warm up, completely unresponsive. I’ve tried his parent’s numbers with no response; he’s still with doctors at the moment. I don’t know what the situation is, but he might need supplies, I doubt he’ll be leaving here today.”

_“Then I’ll go to his house and gather what he’ll need. I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”_

“Good. Just don’t tell his Highness about this yet, I really don’t need him here asking questions right now.”

_“A reasonable request. I’ll be there soon.”_

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Cor was _frustrated_. It had been almost two hours, and the doctors had only given him very limited information and still hadn’t let him into the room either. All he really knew was that it wasn’t good, and there were two former Crownsguard who had some serious questions to answer.

He lifted his head when the door opened; unfortunately not the one to the room Prompto was in, but the entrance door where Ignis now appeared. Ignis’ expression was usually very carefully masked, but right now his expression was very open; frustration and confusion. He had Prompto’s backpack on his shoulder.

“Is Prompto alright?” Ignis asked when he stopped in front of Cor.

“Not really. They suspect a pretty serious infection so far; he hasn’t woken up either. As far as I know, he’s on fluids and antibiotics intravenously,” he explained.

“I’m not surprised. It seems he’s been living rough for a while.”

“He’s _what_? Explain,” Cor demanded. Ignis took in a deep breath.

“I went to his house, only to find that it’s been _sold_ , so I called the estate agent and he told me that it went on the market four weeks ago. So I went to Prompto’s job, to see what information I could glean from his manager and it turns out he lived there for a week, but was fired two weeks ago. He told me that he assumed Prompto had found a place because he went to the train station every night. So then I went to the station and was informed by security that he had, in fact, lived there for two weeks too. The guard had given him a map of shelters and asked him to move along. I called every shelter, and no one matching Prompto’s description has been to any of them. I can only conclude that he has spent the last week on the streets, in the rain,” Ignis explained.

Cor was stunned. Prompto had been living for a _month_ on the streets, without seeking any aid from anyone? Not even Noctis? “Are you kidding me right now?”

“I wish I was.”

“But where on earth is his stuff then?”

“His manager said he had this backpack, and a suitcase.”

“What’s in there? And how did you get into his locker?”

“I picked the lock. It has his camera, spare lens, memory cards, wallet, medication, charger, and a very dead phone. I can only assume that his suitcase is somewhere nearby, because I doubt Prompto would let it too far away from himself. I’ve asked the guards to check the entire nearby vicinity of the Citadel within a hundred yards of the guard walls.”

Cor rubbed a hand down his face. This was bad. Really bad. “This doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“If I may add another detail that has been missed… if Prompto’s house has been sold, and he’s had nowhere to go… I can only assume that his parents are no longer in the picture,” Ignis pointed out calmly. There was something about his tone that _screamed_ anger and Cor felt it too, bubbling inside. He had _trusted_ them to take care of Prompto and they had _abandoned_ him.

“Marshall.” Both Cor and Ignis turned their heads to give the doctor their attention as he stepped out of Prompto’s room. Cor rose to his feet.

“What can you tell me?” he asked.

“It’s pneumonia. Quite serious pneumonia at that too, he’s developed an empyema that we have to drain before he can start to recover. It’s nothing terrible, just a pocket of fluid, but it may not have been so bad if he wasn’t quite as undernourished. He’s responding well to the oxygen and the fluids seemed to have given him some awareness. He’ll need to be here resting until he’s showing improvement,” the doctor explained.

“Is he up for visitors?” Ignis asked, to which the doctor nodded.

“Not for long, he’s still rather tired. But I see no reason why you can’t come in for a little while. I’ll be back to check on him in about an hour,” the doctor said. Cor and Ignis bid him farewell before they both stepped into the room.

Prompto did look a little better than when Cor had seen him first that morning. There was a bit more colour to his skin, and not just from the fevered flush across his face. He actually looked like there had been some improvement in the last few hours. He was awake, though he looked like he was still sort of dazed, and confused. It was Ignis who crossed the room to get to him first, carefully setting Prompto’s backpack down beside the bed.

“Prompto… how are you feeling?” He asked first and foremost. Prompto looked at him, blinking a few times before he really focussed his gaze.

“Okay… I think… why’re you here…?” Prompto asked. It was a little difficult to hear him properly through the oxygen mask, but Ignis dragged a chair closer to the bed and sat down at his side.

“The Marshall asked me to come by. It sounds like you’ve had a rough morning,” he explained, laying a hand on Prompto’s arm. “Do you remember much of what happened?” he asked.

“No… not really… felt awful.”

“You collapsed in training this morning. You’ve got quite serious pneumonia Prompto… any idea how that may have happened?” he asked more firmly. Prompto looked at him, and glanced at Cor who was stood at the foot of the bed too. “Prompto, you need to tell us the truth now. There really isn’t any point in lying, we’ve worked out a fair amount of it ourselves,” Ignis urged. Prompto squeezed his eyes shut.

“Prompto, you’ve been living on the streets, haven’t you?” Cor asked directly. Prompto’s head moved in the barest hint of a nod.

“I thought I’d find a job again… thought I’d figure it out.”

“Why didn’t you just tell someone Prompto? You know Noctis would have let you in,” Ignis said.

“That’s exactly _why_ I couldn’t tell Noctis.”

“Why not?” Cor asked firmly.

“Because… because I swore that I’d never use Noctis’ generosity like that… I didn’t want anyone to think that… that I’m _using_ him. Scrawny little peasant sneaking into the Prince’s life for some luxury. I couldn’t,” Prompto explained quietly, looking over to Ignis. “I didn’t want anyone talking bad about Noct… not ‘cause of me…” He stopped to catch his breath, shutting his eyes for a moment. Ignis’ hand moved up to his shoulder to give it a light squeeze.

“Prompto… I’ve been with Noct for a very long time. I can tell you without a doubt that he would face any accusations with his head held high, if it meant he could do anything to help you right now,” he said gently. “He’s been worried about you, these last few weeks.”

“Me?”

“Of course. It’s been a while since the two of you were free to spend time together. He was worried you might be upset with him for being so busy. We went home for the first time last night, he was looking forward to contacting you and arranging for some time together,” Ignis explained, reaching down to grab Prompto’s bag. He took a small battery pack out of the pocket inside his jacket to plug Prompto’s phone into and get it charging. Prompto was just watching him, his expression seeming stuck on ‘baffled’.

“How’d you get my stuff?” Prompto asked.

“Ah… well being the Prince’s advisor affords me certain privileges and I was given access to your locker,” Ignis explained, watching the device finally come to life.

“Which begs another question… where is the rest of your stuff?” Cor asked.

“Um… there’s a suitcase…” Prompto mumbled. “I hid it by the East entrance… under a bush,” he admitted. Ignis took out his own phone, quickly tapping out a message.

“Here,” Ignis said, handing Prompto his phone. Prompto’s hand was shaking a little as he took it, looking at the screen. Eight messages, all from Noctis last night after his phone had already died on him. Ignis and Cor could only watch as the tears bubbled up until they slipped down Prompto’s cheeks. Did Noctis think that Prompto was mad at him? That was the _last_ thing he had wanted.

“Please… I can’t… not Noct, I can’t go there… it’s not _fair_ to him Iggy, I _can’t_ -”

“You won’t need to worry about that,” Cor interrupted. Ignis and Prompto both looked to him. “There’s space in the Crownsguard boarding,” he explained.

“But I’m not phase two and-”

“I believe the circumstances are more than sufficient to allow an exception. It’s not unheard of to allow recruits to stay when it’s needed. But you’ll have no excuses. If you’re late there needs to be a damn good reason for it.” Cor said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Ignis gently pat Prompto’s arm. “We’ll have everything arranged quickly. Until then, I think Noctis would very much appreciate a few nights of your company to unwind from a long few weeks,” he said. He had no doubt that Noctis would want all the details as soon as he learned about what had happened.

Almost as if summoned by the mere thought, the door behind Cor swung open so hard it hit the wall behind it. It was followed by a quick shout of “Your Highness, wait!” before Noctis had almost warped past Cor. Ignis would have smacked his own forehead, if the Marshall hadn’t been standing right there _scowling_ at the Prince.

“What the _hell_ happened?!”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Prompto spent the night in the infirmary while the pocket of fluid on his lung was drained and to let the intravenous antibiotics get into his system. He was released the next day to Ignis’ care, and he and Noctis took Prompto back to Noctis’ apartment. They got him settled into bed so that he could continue resting for a few days; which turned into a week, simply because Ignis wanted to be able to keep an eye on him until he finished his course of antibiotics.

By the time he was feeling well enough to be left alone, Cor had secured him a place in the Crownsguard living quarters within the Citadel. It wasn’t much, just a bed, a kitchenette and a basic shower room, but Prompto had gotten more than a little emotional once he’d seen it for the first time. It was a place to call his own; a bed to sleep on, a stove to cook on, a shower to enjoy… and no fear of rent to pay.

Ignis had his suitcase found, and thank goodness nothing was missing but Noctis had been horrified to see what little he had been able to bring with him. Despite Prompto’s protests, Noctis and Ignis had arrived at his door armed with shopping bags to fill his wardrobe and his bare fridge and cupboards. Gladio had come a little later with a modest TV for him to use with the game console he had under his other arm. Noctis just shrugged and said he needed someone to game with him online.

A few days later, Prompto was more than a little surprised to see Cor at his door.

“Can I come in?” he asked when Prompto seemed to just keep staring.

“O-oh! Of course!” he said quickly, stepping aside to let Cor into the room. He closed the door behind him, standing there twisting his hands together while Cor looked around the space he now occupied.

“Looks like you’ve settled in well,” Cor noted, crossing the room to pull a chair out from under the small dining table to sit down.

“Y-yeah… Noct and the guys kinda surprised me with some stuff,” Prompto explained, sitting on the edge of his bed. He had been careful to make sure he kept the place tidy, just in case anyone came to do any inspections.

“It’s good. These places are yours to use, after all. Would be a shame if you didn’t add a personal touch to things.”

“Oh. Well I thought it might be a bit much, honestly.”

“Don’t worry about it. More importantly though, how is your recovery going?” Cor asked, leaning on the table.

“Very well, the doctor said I should be fit to resume my training next week. I’ll work hard to catch up, I promise,” Prompto said with a determined nod. Cor had done him a huge favor by arranging this place for him, he would have to show him how much he appreciated it.

“I’m glad to hear that, truly.” Cor seemed to hesitate on his next words, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “I wanted to apologise, Prompto.”

Prompto sat up straighter, holding on to the hem of his shirt. “To… apologise? Why?” he asked carefully.

“How much do you know about where you came from?” Cor asked. Prompto’s shoulders gained some tension, and Cor could see his jaw clench.

“I was adopted… when I was just over a year old. I don’t know anything more than that…”

“You were given to your parents because they were former Crownsguards. The circumstances around you were… strange. They were trusted to take care of you and I realize now that they didn’t do a particularly good job with that. I just-”

“No, please… Marshall, Sir, I know they weren’t exactly… _great_ parents… but they did raise me. The did make sure I had what I needed growing up even if they weren’t around too much. It… may have not been great by the end but… I’m thankful that they did what they did. I don’t really care for much else,” Prompto explained, slowly losing the tension as he spoke. “If you’re going to say that you’re sorry that they had me, it doesn’t matter. In a way, maybe it was better that they weren’t around. I’m good on my own, I’m independent… I’ll be fine here.”

Cor nodded a little, taking a minute to just look at him. Prompto did have a point; they had kept him in a home and fed… and despite the last month or so, he _was_ independent and honestly, perhaps a bit more mature than he was given credit for. Maybe he didn’t need to explain his involvement in Prompto’s past after all. Despite everything, Prompto still held respect for his parents and Cor wasn’t going to dirty his opinion of them. He stood himself up, carefully tucking the chair under the table.

“I’m glad that you’re doing well. I expect good things from you in training next week. We’re going to be doing the invasion drills you would have missed,” Cor said with a firm nod. Prompto quickly stood up, back straight and fist curled over his chest.

“I won’t let you down, Sir.”

When the door closed behind him, Cor stayed long enough to hear Prompto’s relieved sigh, and the pop of a metal clasp perhaps belonging to the wristband on his right arm, which covered the truth from prying eyes. The past didn’t matter, not to Cor. As long as Prompto was safe, that was all that mattered. The small child he had brought home had grown into a fine young man. He had no doubts that he’d be alright, in the end.


End file.
